Your first job: Learn how to kill!

The army. Two words we try not to think of, but our time will come, just like everyone else, when our ‘homeland’ will need us, to do ‘our duty.’ The army is an institution which violates young people’s freedom, wastes their time, and tries to make youths into soldiers, ready to fight and die for a homeland they did not choose.

· We will not negotiate wasting two years of our lives. 24 useless months, trapped in camps and forced to obey any orders, sane or insane, ethical or unethical. During the 24 months of duties and punishments, the democratic rights of youths are destroyed: no rights to choice, no rights to appearance.

• The army oppresses people who are ‘different.’ Militarism promotes and imposes uniformity, displaying appearance, religion and ideology templates. The argument that in the army you will ‘meet yourself,’ is made invalid not only by the imposture of uniformity but also by the fact that youths are kept for 24 months, away from their interests. We will meet ourselves in our own manners! The army also acts homophobically, oppressing and humiliating homosexuals.

• The army promotes hatred. The medieval chants such as ‘A good Turk is a dead Turk,’ on the south side of the island and ‘All of us were born soldiers,’ on the north side which are considered necessary to increase morale, fanaticize youths, poisoning their souls and ideas. Constantly, youths are exposed to racist propaganda to be convinced that their enemy is the person on the other side, making it easier for them to become killing machines, overcoming their morale suspensions and following any orders received. This happens on both sides of the island, and results in youths hating those on the other side, the ‘others,’ while ignoring that their problems. As long as we continue to put up with this, peace will not be achieved.

· The army is not aimed so much at fighting ‘external enemies,’ but is aimed at disciplining youths with anachronistic methods. The army is one of the most important propaganda machines, blinding youths with nationalist hatred, convincing them that our enemies are all Turks, Bulgariands etc, while all peoples face common problems and common oppressors, and should be looking for common solutions.

Each year, during the summertime we watch as some men wearing suits and ties cry over the high levels of youths avoiding the army and suggesting ‘modern’ solutions such as the forbiddance of driving a car or the forbiddance of working in the public sector be applied to those who did not serve in the army. They state that youths who refuse to become killers are traitors and irresponsible. At the same time, alternative ways of serving for those who chose not to enlist are at least vindictive since they last much more months and are composed of a series of useless work.

It is completely natural for youths to not wish to serve in the army.

We, as youths and thus in the heart of the matter, are obliged to show the futility and non-necessity of serving in the army. Let us realize that there should be nothing separating us. After all, we are all humans, Turkish, Greeks, Cypriots; the geographical location in which someone was born does not matter: we are all equal. Let’s realize that our enemies our common: those who promote hatred between us, and that turning against each other definitely does not serve our best interests. Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots alike, let’s accept only one battle: that for the removal of all armies from the island!

Planodio Steki Dromou